1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to monitoring systems and, more particularly, to a system for monitoring a water level of a toilet and for interrupting the supply of water to the toilet in the event a clogged condition is determined.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most residences today have indoor plumbing, which delivers water directly to sinks, bathtubs, and toilets for use by the occupants of the residence as needed. While indoor plumbing is a significant advance and indeed a requirement in most urban areas, there are also some drawbacks associated with indoor plumbing. One such drawback is that toilets will, from time to time, become clogged when the waste outlet line leading from the toilet bowl becomes obstructed with waste matter, toilet paper, or the like. Because conventional toilets are not equipped with any means for sensing and reacting to a clogged condition, those toilets will often overflow, resulting in a flooding condition in the lavatory area. Such flooding can cause significant property damage, as well as create an unsanitary condition, which is a burden to clean up.
Others in the past have proposed systems for detecting potential clogged conditions in toilets and for preventing an overflow from occurring by interrupting the supply of water to the toilet bowl. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,502 to Hartmann. The Hartmann '502 patent discloses an electrical sensing probe 50 that is placed inside of the toilet bowl. An overflow chamber is provided which extends about the entire rim of the bowl. The probe extends into the overflow chamber, and when water flows into the chamber, the water bridges the gap between the probe and the conductive side wall of the bowl, to initiate a signal to stop the flow of water to the toilet bowl. It is apparent that this system occupies a substantial amount of space within the toilet bowl and, because it is housed within the toilet bowl, will require repeated cleaning. Therefore, this system is not only inefficient, but undesirable as well.
Another such overflow prevention system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,557 to Ringler. The Ringler '557 patent discloses an insulated electrode placed in a horizontal pipe 15 that delivers water to a toilet bowl. So long as water remains in the pipe, a circuit is closed between the electrode 47 and ground, which disables the toilet to prevent further flushings. However, this system requires that the pipe feeding the toilet be disposed in a horizontal configuration, and, therefore, is not suitable for use in many applications.
Yet another prior art device for preventing toilet overflows is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,374 to Morris et al., and includes an insulated electrical probe 37 housed inside a water flushing line 18. Once again, this invention requires a horizontal supply pipe in order to function.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,444 to Orszullok discloses an overflow system for detecting an overflow condition in a bathtub, and includes a capacitive sensor that is operative to detect the water level within the bathtub and to generate a control signal as the water level approaches the top of the tub. While such a device is arguably suitable for bathtub applications, this system is not suitable for use in toilet applications where the water level varies during the normal use of the toilet, for example during a standard toilet flush. In other words, a toilet flush will cause the capacitive sensor to detect that the water level has risen to the level of the sensor, thereby triggering a signal to stop the flow of water to the toilet bowl. Thus, if used in a toilet application, the capacitive sensor would detect a false positive every time the toilet is flushed.
Accordingly, it will be apparent that there continues to be a need for a reliable, efficient system for detecting a clogged toilet condition and for preventing an actual overflow from occurring. Furthermore, the need exists for such a system that does not require significant maintenance, periodic cleaning, or regular inspection. The present invention addresses these needs and others.